Autumn Feeding Guide for Sheep 2018 - South East · Autumn lambing flocks are under a lot more...
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Autumn Feeding Guide - Sheep A producers guide for supplementary feeding sheep during autumn Matthew Lieschke - Livestock Officer South East Local Land Services | Goulburn www.southeast.lls.nsw.gov.au
Transcript of Autumn Feeding Guide for Sheep 2018 - South East · Autumn lambing flocks are under a lot more...
Autumn Feeding Guide - SheepA producers guide for supplementary feeding sheep during autumnMatthew Lieschke - Livestock Officer South East Local Land Services | Goulburn
www.southeast.lls.nsw.gov.au
Autumn feeding guide - sheep
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Table of Contents
Late winter/ early spring lambing ewes ................................................................................................................... 3
Merino ewes - early pregnancy ........................................................................................................................... 4
1st X ewes - early pregnancy ............................................................................................................................... 5
Autumn lambing ewes ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Merino ewes - late pregnancy ............................................................................................................................. 6
Merino ewes - early lactation with single lamb .................................................................................................... 8
Merino ewes - early lactation with twins .............................................................................................................. 9
1st X ewes - late pregnancy ............................................................................................................................... 10
1st X ewes - early lactation with single lamb ...................................................................................................... 11
1st X ewes - early lactation with twins ................................................................................................................ 12
Merino weaners ................................................................................................................................................. 13
More information ....................................................................................................................................................... 13
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING BEFORE USING THIS GUIDE
o The tables in this guide have been calculated using Grazfeed and provide a guide to the level ofsupplementation required for both Merino and 1st X ewes at various stages of pregnancy and into earlylactation. Feeding rates have also been provided for Merino weaners.
o A number of pasture and livestock assumptions have been used when performing the Grazfeed runs. It isimportant to take note of these assumptions when applying the feeding rates to your own situation.Remember, these tables are provided as a guide only and are designed to help producers fine-tune theirfeeding rates.
o The suggested feeding rates in this guide are based on feeding cereal grain. Remember, care shouldalways be taken when feeding grain to livestock to avoid grain poisoning (acidosis). Primefact 330 “GrainPoisoning of sheep and cattle” (available online) contains information on how to safely introduce sheepand cattle to grain-based diets.
o Cereal grains tend to be low in both calcium and sodium. When feeding diets that consist mainly of cerealgrain, add 1.5% of ground agricultural limestone (calcium carbonate) and 0.5% salt by weight to the rationto avoid calcium and sodium deficiencies (i.e. for every 100kg of grain add 1.5kg of lime and 0.5kg ofsalt).
Front cover photos provided by NSW Department of Primary Industries and M Lieschke, Local Land Services
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Late winter/ early spring lambing ewes
Regardless of whether a ewe is carrying a single lamb or twins, nutritional requirements are only slightly above that of a dry ewe in the first 100 days of pregnancy (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Energy requirements of single and twin bearing ewes during pregnancy
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Merino ewes - early pregnancy
Table 1: Merino ewe - DAILY weight gain/loss (g/hd/day) in early pregnancy
Assumptions: o Merino ewes have a mature weight of 55kg (no gut fill, fleece-free liveweight)
o Ewes are grazing a short green pasture at 72% digestibility, 5% legume with pasture height varying from 1cm - 4cm. Paddock still has 0.5t/ha of dead material @ 40% digestibility (5cm in height).
o Ewes are 50 days pregnant. Figures indicate likely weight gain/loss with varying levels of supplement. Weight gain/loss DOES NOT include weight gain from the conceptus (i.e. ewe body condition only).
o Ration is 100% barley (13MJ ME; 12% protein).
Highlighted cells provide a guide to feeding levels needed to maintain body condition with increasing pasture height. Pasture only needs to be around 1 inch high (2.5cm) for stock to maintain body condition in early pregnancy.
What if I don’t have a green pick and dry feed is minimal? o As shown in the above table, the feeding rate would need to increase to around 600g/hd/day to maintain
weight.
o When dry paddock feed becomes limiting it’s important to provide a small amount of roughage into the diet in addition to the feeding rate listed for nil green feed (e.g. 600g/hd/day of barley + 0.5kg/hd/week of hay or straw).
Note: If pregnant ewes are in good condition (i.e. Fat Score 3+) you could save some money by feeding sub-maintenance rates and letting ewes undergo slight weight loss. Aim for fat score 3 – 3.5 at the point of lambing.
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1st X ewes - early pregnancy
Table 2: 1st X ewe - DAILY weight gain/loss (g/hd/day) in early pregnancy
Assumptions: o 1st X ewes have a mature weight of 75kg (no gut fill, fleece-free liveweight)
o Ewes are grazing a short green pasture at 72% digestibility, 5% legume with pasture height varying from 1cm - 4cm. Paddock still has 0.5t/ha of dead material @ 40% digestibility (5cm in height).
o Ewes are 50 days pregnant. Figures indicate likely weight gain/loss with varying levels of supplement. Weight gain/loss DOES NOT include weight gain from the conceptus (i.e. ewe body condition only).
o Ration is 100% barley (13MJ ME; 12% protein).
Highlighted cells provide a guide to feeding levels needed to maintain body condition with increasing pasture height. Pasture only needs to be around 1 inch high (2.5cm) for stock to maintain body condition in early pregnancy.
What if I don’t have a green pick and dry feed is minimal? As shown in the above table, the feeding rate would need to increase to around 700g/hd/day to maintain weight.
When dry paddock feed becomes limiting it’s important to provide a small amount of roughage into the diet in addition to the feeding rate listed for nil green feed (e.g. 700g/hd/day of barley + 0.7kg/hd/week of hay or straw).
Note: If pregnant ewes are in good condition (i.e. Fat Score 3.5 or above) you could save some money by feeding sub-maintenance rates and letting ewes undergo slight weight loss. For 1st X ewes, aim for fat score 3.5 – 4.0 at the point of lambing.
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Autumn lambing ewes
Autumn lambing flocks are under a lot more pressure during autumn as nutrient requirements increase dramatically leading up to lambing, especially in twin bearing ewes (Figure 2). Failure to meet nutrient requirements in late pregnancy and early lactation leads to a range of issues:
o increased risk of pregnancy toxaemia in twin bearing ewes
o smaller lambs = increased risk of dying, especially in twins.
o reduced colostrum and milk production
o increased risk of twin bearing ewes deserting one of their lambs if conditions are tough
Figure 2: Energy requirements of single and twin bearing ewes during pregnancy
With autumn lambing ewes the recommendation is to keep feeding rates up once the autumn break occurs to help pastures get ahead of the stock. You are better off feeding ewes in late pregnancy as once lambing starts the risk of mis-mothering increases, especially if you are trail feeding.
Photo: evergraze.com.au
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Merino ewes - late pregnancy
Table 3: Merino ewe - DAILY weight gain/loss (g/hd/day); 120 days pregnant
Assumptions: o Merino ewes have a mature weight of 55kg (no gut fill, fleece-free liveweight)
o Ewes are grazing a short green pasture at 72% digestibility, 5% legume with pasture height varying from 1cm - 4cm. Paddock still has 0.5t/ha of dead material @ 40% digestibility (5cm in height).
o Ewes are 120 days pregnant. Figures indicate likely weight gain/loss with varying levels of supplement. Weight gain/loss DOES NOT include weight gain from the conceptus (i.e. ewe body condition only).
o Ration is 100% barley (13ME; 12% protein).
Highlighted cells provide a guide to feeding levels needed to maintain body condition with increasing pasture height one month prior to lambing (both twins and singles).
What if I don’t have a green pick and dry feed is minimal? o The feeding rate would need to increase to 800g/hd/day for singles and 1kg/hd/day for twins.
o Getting ewes to physically eat these high amounts of grain in late pregnancy is difficult, so some degree of weight loss is likely, especially in twin bearing ewes.
o Daily feeding or use of self-feeders is recommended in the last 3 weeks of pregnancy so that ewes receive a constant supply of feed.
o Feed 0.5kg/hd/week of hay in addition to the grain
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Merino ewes - early lactation with single lamb
Table 4: Single bearing Merino ewe - Lambing performance at 14 days into lambing
Assumptions: o Merino ewes have a mature weight of 55kg (no gut fill, fleece-free liveweight)
o Ewes are grazing a short green pasture at 72% digestibility, 5% legume with pasture height varying from 1cm - 4cm. Paddock still has 0.5t/ha of dead material @ 40% digestibility (5cm in height).
o Ewes are 14 days into lambing. Figures indicate likely weight gain/loss with varying levels of supplement.
o Ration is 100% barley (13ME; 12% protein).
Highlighted cells show feeding levels needed if target weight loss is around 100g/head/day (0.7kg/week). The table shows impact of level of feeding on ewe condition and lamb growth rate.
Providing ewes are in good condition at the start of lambing, we can afford to ‘milk of her back’ as ewes will be able to recoup lost condition in spring. We can also tolerate lower lamb growth rates in autumn lambing flocks as lambs will be weaned onto good quality pasture.
What if I don’t have a green pick and dry feed is minimal? o The feeding rate would need to increase to 0.9kg/hd/day for singles.
o For lactating ewes it’s important that the diet contains at least 12% crude protein. If the cereal grain that you are using is below 12% protein, a protein-rich concentrate (e.g. lupins or faba beans) can be used to bump the protein level up. For example, using a ration mix that contains 90% barley and 10% lupins.
o Daily feeding or use of self-feeders is recommended in early lactation so that ewes receive a constant supply of feed.
o Providing roughage via hay becomes increasingly important as paddock feed becomes limited - feed 1kg/hd/week of good quality hay (in addition to the grain).
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Merino ewes - early lactation with twins
Table 5: Twin bearing Merino ewe - Lambing performance at 14 days into lambing
Assumptions: o Merino ewes have a mature weight of 55kg (no gut fill, fleece-free liveweight)
o Ewes are grazing a short green pasture at 72% digestibility, 5% legume with pasture height varying from 1cm - 4cm. Paddock still has 0.5t/ha of dead material @ 40% digestibility (5cm in height).
o Ewes are 14 days into lambing. Figures indicate likely weight gain/loss with varying levels of supplement.
o Ration is 100% barley (13ME; 12% protein).
Highlighted cells show feed that’s required to limit weight loss to around 160-170g/head/day (approximately 1.2kg / week).
The amount you feed will be a function of current ewe condition – higher feeding rates will be needed if ewes are in lighter condition as there is less capacity to ‘milk off her back’.
What if I don’t have a green pick and dry feed is minimal? o The feeding rate would need to increase to 1.2kg/hd/day for twins.
o For lactating ewes it’s important that the diet contains at least 12% crude protein. If the cereal grain that you are using is below 12% protein, a protein-rich concentrate (e.g. lupins or faba beans) can be used to bump the protein level up. For example, using a ration mix that contains 90% barley and 10% lupins.
o Daily feeding or use of self-feeders is recommended in early lactation so that ewes receive a constant supply of feed.
o Providing roughage via hay becomes increasingly important as paddock feed becomes limited - feed 1.5kg/hd/week of good quality hay (in addition to the grain).
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1st X ewes - late pregnancy
Table 6: 1st X ewe - DAILY weight gain/loss (g/hd/day); 120 days pregnant
Assumptions: o 1st X ewes have a mature weight of 75kg (no gut fill, fleece-free liveweight)
o Ewes are grazing a short green pasture at 72% digestibility, 5% legume with pasture height varying from 1cm - 4cm. Paddock still has 0.5t/ha of dead material @ 40% digestibility (5cm in height).
o Ewes are 120 days pregnant. Figures indicate likely weight gain/loss with varying levels of supplement. Weight gain/loss DOES NOT include weight gain from the conceptus (i.e. ewe body condition only).
o Ration is 100% barley (13ME; 12% protein).
Table 6 above provides a guide on feeding rates one month prior to lambing with the highlighted cells indicating the amount of supplement required to maintain body condition. Nutrient requirements will continue to increase as the pregnancy progresses.
What if I don’t have a green pick and dry feed is minimal? o The feeding rate would need to increase to 1.1kg/head/day for singles and 1.3kg/head/day for twins.
o Getting ewes to physically eat these high amounts of grain in late pregnancy is difficult, so some degree of weight loss is likely, especially in twin bearing ewes.
o Daily feeding or use of self feeders is recommended in the last 3 weeks of pregnancy so that ewes receive a constant supply of feed.
o Feed 0.7kg/hd/week of good quality hay in addition to the grain.
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1st X ewes - early lactation with single lamb
Table 7: Single bearing 1st X ewe - Lambing performance at 14 days into lambing
Assumptions: o 1st X ewes have a mature weight of 75kg (no gut fill, fleece-free liveweight)
o Ewes are grazing a short green pasture at 72% digestibility, 5% legume with pasture height varying from 1cm - 4cm. Paddock still has 0.5t/ha of dead material @ 40% digestibility (5cm in height).
o Ewes are 14 days into lambing. Figures indicate likely weight gain/loss with varying levels of supplement.
o Ration is 100% barley (13ME; 12% protein).
Highlighted cells show feed that’s required to limit weight loss to around 160g/hd/day (approx 1.1kg / week).
Again, feeding rates will be influenced by amount of body condition on the ewe. Assumption in Grazfeed was lambing down in Fat Score 3.5.
What if I don’t have a green pick and dry feed is minimal? o The feeding rate would need to increase to 1.2kg/hd/day.
o For lactating ewes it’s important that the diet contains at least 12% crude protein. If the cereal grain that you are using is below 12% protein, a protein-rich concentrate (e.g. lupins or faba beans) can be used to bump the protein level up. For example, using a ration mix that contains 90% barley and 10% lupins.
o Daily feeding or use of self-feeders is recommended in early lactation so that ewes receive a constant supply of feed.
o Providing roughage via hay becomes increasingly important as paddock feed becomes limited - feed 1.2kg/hd/week of good quality hay (in addition to the grain).
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1st X ewes - early lactation with twins
Table 8: Twin bearing 1st X ewe - Lambing performance at 14 days into lambing
Assumptions: o 1st X ewes have a mature weight of 75kg (no gut fill, fleece-free liveweight)
o Ewes grazing a short green pasture at 72% digestibility, 5% legume with pasture height varying from 1cm - 4cm. Paddock still has 0.5t/ha of dead material @ 40% digestibility (5cm in height).
o Ewes are 14 days into lambing. Figures indicate likely weight gain/loss with varying levels of supplement.
o Ration is 100% barley (13ME; 12% protein).
Feeding rates and weight loss is much higher compared to the single bearing ewe. Highlighted cells show feed that’s required to limit weight loss to around 200g/hd/day (approx 1.4kg / week; or 5.5kg/month) where green grass is available.
What if I don’t have a green pick and dry feed is minimal? o As shown in the above table, the feeding rate would need to increase to 1.5kg/hd/day. At this feeding
rate ewes will lose around 270g/hd/day.
o For lactating ewes it’s important that the diet contains at least 12% crude protein. If the cereal grain that you are using is below 12% protein, a protein-rich concentrate (e.g. lupins or faba beans) can be used to bump the protein level up. For example, using a ration mix that contains 90% barley and 10% lupins.
o Daily feeding or use of self-feeders is recommended in early lactation so that ewes receive a constant supply of feed.
o Providing roughage via hay becomes increasingly important as paddock feed becomes limited - feed 2kg/hd/week of good quality hay (in addition to the grain).
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Merino weaners
Table 9: Merino weaners at 8 months of age. DAILY weight gain/loss (g/hd/day)
Assumptions: o Ewes grazing a short green pasture at 72% digestibility, 5% legume with pasture height varying from
1cm - 4cm. Paddock still has 0.5t/ha of dead material @ 40% digestibility (5cm in height).
o Ewes are 14 days into lambing. Figures indicate likely weight gain/loss with varying levels of supplement.
o Ration is 100% barley (13ME; 12% protein).
Your target growth rate (and feeding rate) will be driven by the current weight of your weaners. The lightest ewe weaners need to reach 25 kg (minimum) by 1 June if they are to reach a 40kg joining weight by Feb/ March next year.
The estimated growth rates in the table assumes that weaners are fed a ration containing 85% barley and 15% lupin grain, providing 13 MJ ME and 15% protein.
What if I don’t have a green pick and dry feed is minimal? o Give weaners access to good quality hay on an ad lib basis (in addition to the grain). Young weaners need
roughage as part of their diet for continued rumen development and should comprise at least 20% of the total ration.
More information For further information contact your Local Land Services Livestock Officer or District Veterinarian.
© State of New South Wales through Local Land Services 2018. The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing April 2018. However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that the information upon which they rely is up to date and to check the currency of the information with the appropriate officer of Local Land Services or the user’s independent adviser. For updates go to www.lls.nsw.gov.au
